Christian martyrs become a symbol of ecumenism and friendship between Orthodox and Catholics

The 21 martyrs—20 Egyptian and one Ghanaian—who were killed by Islamic State militants in Libya, in 2015, will be commemorated on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, making them the first saints to be honoured by both the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches since their split following the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD. In …

Nigeria-Two Nigerian seminarians recall their time in captivity

They also tell us how one of their brothers paid the price for their freedom. Pius Tabat and Stephen Amos were kidnapped, along with two other seminarians, on January 8, 2020. For several days, they were held in captivity and tortured while their captors tried to extract ransoms from their families. One of the members …

Pope Francis, 10 years in solidarity with persecuted Christians

This past Wednesday, March 8, the Holy Father met with two young Nigerian Christians who were victims of jihadist persecution. (Cover photo: Pope Francis in Iraq, March 2021). On the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate, Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) highlights the Holy Father’s closeness to Christians who suffer persecution …